Bittersweet Peace
by KawaiiStar
Summary: Begins in the future. Zechs and Noin are sent to infultrait an enemy base. But a few things go wrong after that. Please review!!!
1. Prologue...The End of Zechs and Noin

Chapter One: The End of Zechs and Noin  
  
First scene set in the mirai timeline.  
  
Bittersweet Peace  
  
The two girls watched in horror as their parents were held at gunpoint. Zechs and Noin had been assigned to destroy a base on the moon of Jupiter, which was rumored to be home to a group of rebels that once again threatened the peace of the space colonies and the Earth. The two children had snuck aboard their parents ship before they left Earth. Zechs didn't want to leave them alone unsupervised and in possible danger. So he left them in the care of the other Gundam pilots wives. Although Aries being the adventurer and the curious one had dragged her twin sister on to their parents ship before take off. Once they had reached their destination Aries had gotten off the ship wanting to explore the base and find out what her parents were doing here. Though through one wrong door they had walked in on their Mom and Dad being held at gunpoint with multiple guards around them who promptly restrained the two girls.  
  
"Mom I'm scared." Amanda said her voice trembling.  
  
Zechs mind was swimming with worry. How had the girls gotten here? Why did they have to walk smack dab in the middle of the most perilous situation him and Noin had been in a decade. He looked Noin at intensely each trying to formulate a plan of escape.  
  
"My name is Rowan. I don't want to hurt you. I just need to know what you are doing here, who sent you and what you plan to do. "  
  
Silence.  
  
"Ok maybe you need a little help remembering." Rowan walked over to Amanda who squealed with terror.  
  
Rowan was willing to pay any price for the chance to overcome the Earth with his mass of forces and technology. He had heard stories from his mother about how is father had been a great leader at the time if the war. How he had commanded countless troops and pulled the strings to many of the finest plots. Including the gundam pilots his mother spoke so highly of. And he had also learned from his mother that his father had been killed in the last battle of the war by one of the gundam pilots. He swore from that time on if he ever saw one of the six Gundams pilots his mother had told him of that he would avenge the death of his father.  
  
Zechs watched as Rowan stared mindlessly into space and made his move. He snatched his arm from the guard that held it, and then punched the guard. Noin followed suit and freed her daughters from their captors. The guards shot a barrage of bullets in the air at the fleeing family. Zechs led his kin down the maze of corridors and back to the ship firing up the engines. Landing in one of creators on the surface Zechs rushed over to Noin, who was leaning against the wall breathing heavily, holding her side. Her left hand was pressed against her abdomen. Zechs removed her hand to find blood soaked through her clothes and dripping form her fingertips.  
  
He let out a growl and the two girls looked over at him and then to their mother. All three crowded around the injured woman.  
  
"Lucrezia...just hold on...you'll be ok." He held his own hand over the wound willing it to absorb the blood.  
  
"Zechs...take care...Aries Amanda I love you so much." The two girls embraced their mother. Noin hugged them with all of her strength as she felt herself slipping away.  
  
"Mom don't go. I'm sorry it's all my fault I shouldn't have dragged Amanda here. " Aries pleaded.  
  
" We'll be lonely with out you." Tears rolled down Amanda's face  
  
Noin smiled half-heartedly to weak to spell then turned her attention to her husband. Zechs leaned forward claiming his wife's lips for what would be the last time. It broke his heart to watch life escape from his wife like water escaping a broken glass. The color drained from her face, making her look like a ghost.  
  
"I love you Milliardo." She mouthed unable to make a sound.  
  
"I love you Lucrezia." He whispered sweetly watching her eyes close for the last time. Zechs embraced her then looked at the peaceful expression she had on her face. He broke away from, tears streaming down his face.  
  
"Dad I'm sorry this is all my fault I convinced Amanda to come I'm so sorry." Aries said to her father. Zechs was so devastated by his loss that he never answered his daughter or tied to convince her that her it wasn't her fault.  
  
"Dad look!" Amanda screamed. A fleet of mobile suits passed over the creator. Zechs walked to the back of the ship opening the hatch to the one escape pod on the ship.  
  
"Dad, we're not leaving you," the girls said in unison  
  
"You have to." He helped them in the fit was very tight, had they been any bigger then the twins wouldn't have fit, paused only to tell his daughters how much they meant to him.  
  
Walking over to the other console he set the course of the pod, knowing that one wrong number could make the pod float off into space until it ran out of power. With tears almost blinding him Zechs pressed the red deployment button and watch as the pod speed off towards its destination: Earth, hoping it would make it would make it to Earth at the coordinates he had memorized in case the mission failed.  
  
The former Lightning Count said a silent farewell to his two brave daughters and turned his head to where his wife's body still lay blood still spilling out from her wound. He maneuvered the ship out of the creator and toward the base. The fleet, seeing the ship sped towards him. Zechs fired missiles into the approaching fleet causing giant explosions.  
  
"You'll pay for that!" The captain of the armada screamed.  
  
"I have already played the ultimate price. I have no more to lose."  
  
He accelerated the ship to its maximum speed and plowed into the base causing monstrous fireballs and numerous explosions.  
  
To be continued. 


	2. The Past or Bust

Chapter Two: The Past or Bust  
  
NINE YEARS LATER...  
  
Aries bolted upright in bed drenched in a cold sweat; her labored breathing woke the man sleeping on the floor. Erick Barton, Trowa's first-born son, didn't think twice before climbing into the bed, enveloping Aries in his arms. He had thought she would push him away as she had done multiple times in the past. The two had met when Amanda and Aries' space pod had landed at Hilde and Duo's house after two weeks en route. The Bartons had been sharing a quiet lunch when the twins had landed. At first it was hard for anyone to believe that Zechs and Noin had died, for they always had a way to escape from a desperate situation alive. Over the years Duo's son Arron, Trowa's son Erick, Amanda and Aries had become great friends. Though Aries was always somewhat withdrawn from the rest and barely spoke.  
  
At the age of twenty-one Arron and Amanda had discovered their love for each other and gotten married. It was there that Erick had declared his love for Aries. Who had left the room in tears and had locked herself in her room for three days. The pain of loss weighted heavily on her, making her. afraid to get close to anyone (even her identical twin Amanda) Aries had never in words returned Erick's love but she never said she didn't love him and it had been him who had convinced to come out of her room.  
  
"More nightmares?" Aries nodded against his shoulder needing to feel like she wasn't alone.  
  
"It hurts so much I don't think I can go on like this any more. It's all my fault they died because of me." She began to sob violently.  
  
These words struck fear into Erick's heart. A couple of months after the twins had arrived on Earth. Aries locked herself in the bathroom and cut both of her wrists with a piece of glass from the bathroom mirror. She had missed her radial arteries by two inches and still to this day had the scars to prove it. Then the night of Arron and Amanda's wedding, Erick had not seen her at the reception and went to the house where she lived with Hilde and Duo and found her sitting on the couch, a bottle of painkillers open and spread over the table, a huge half empty bottle of burgundy in her hands.  
  
His had shaken her awake because he was afraid that she had drunk herself to death. Then he franticly called the hotel where Amanda and Arron were just starting their honeymoon. He told them what had happened and to meet him at the hospital. Erick had asked Aries countless times why she done this, but the twenty-one year old had been too drunk to string a whole sentence together. And by the time she was in her right mind had clammed up like and oyster and refused to talk to him Amanda or Arron. It had been three years since Aries had tried to take her own life, but Erick felt that if left alone with the opportunity of suicide she would try again. And he couldn't bear it if he let the woman he loved hurt herself anymore then she already had.  
  
Hoping to distract her from her nightmare Erick leaned forward pressing his lips to hers. After only a moments hesitation Aries responded letting his tongue in her mouth. Erick tried to break the kiss to get in a better position but Aries would have none of it. Seeing a hungry yearning look on her face Erick laid down with her in between his legs. Breaking the kiss for the first time for the lack of oxygen Aries lifted her nightdress over her head. Not wanting to rush anything Erick keep on his only article of clothing. But a few kiss later when she tugged at the elastic waistband of his boxers and began to slide them down his hips. The noise of the door suddenly opening and two gleeful faces walked into the room.  
  
"We've done it!" Arron shrieked, Amanda running in after him. Both let their eyes digest the scene that lay before them. Erick, his boxers halfway down his hips with Aries only in her undergarments with him in between her legs.  
  
"Oh my god Arron we're interrupting something, we'll come back you guys." Amanda was shocked to find her sister this way. She never thought that Aries would let Erick consummate his love for her.  
  
"No use you already interrupted so just go ahead." Erick said annoyed, the one night Aries hadn't pushed him away and he was allowed to show her how deeply he felt for her and they picked tonight to come barging in.  
  
"Well we just thought that you guys would want to know that the mobile suits are ready and loaded. And thanks to me and my genius got the time machine operational and we can leave as soon as we want to provided that we have aliases because once we're there we can't risk our parents finding out who we are too soon."  
  
" Yes well Amanda we can talk about that tomorrow. But for now I think I need my sleep and that would require r you two leave right now." Aries gestured at the door.  
  
"Ok, ok I'm sorry I thought you would want to be the fist to know that we can go back. We can take a hint can't we Arron." the woman pulled her husband out of the room and closed the door behind her. Erick sighed deeply as he proceeded to get out from under Aries.  
  
"Where you going?" she asked indignantly as the insecurity of him wanting to leave the moment they had been caught  
  
"We should really get some sleep, big day tomorrow." Erick said absently trying to cover his disappointment and the fact that his body had begun to throb from the abrupt stop  
  
"What you don't want me now that Arron and Amanda saw us together?"  
  
"No, where the hell did you get an idea like that?"  
  
"Well it's not hard, you kiss me when we're alone and then after we are interrupted you don't want me anymore."  
  
"That's not what my body says, but I thought that since you have always turned down my advances that now we were interrupted that you had regained whatever it was you lost when you kissed back." Aries began to laugh as she covered Erick's body with her own.  
  
"So what does your body say Mr. Barton?" Aries cupped his face in her hands smiling genuinely for the first time in what seemed liked years.  
  
"It commands me to ravish you until the late morning." Erick confessed truthfully sitting up and rolling over so Aries was on the bottom.  
  
"Oh really?" she questioned as the hardness of his length was pressed against her underwear. "But we really should get to sleep.  
  
"Yea but people don't always do what they should do, do they." she let him remove her remaining clothing and moaned as he began to place kisses all over her body.  
  
Next morning the two reluctantly put their clothes back on and went into the main room where they found Arron eating breakfast alone..  
  
"Well, Well, Well look who's finally up." Arron teased as he brought the spoon to his mouth.  
  
"Ha, ha, yes you have a good laugh because I got some and you didn't, where's my sister?" She took the seat across from her brother-in-law.  
  
"What the hell makes you think that I didn't get any?"  
  
"Because you wouldn't be this grumpy if you did." Erick added sitting down next to Aries, handing her a bowl of cereal  
  
"What is this you guys have sex for the first time and all of a sudden it is gang up on Arron?"  
  
"No one is ganging up on you, you started it by teasing us and you never told me where my sister is."  
  
"Fine, you two win, I lose. Amanda couldn't sleep a wink kept complaining that the room was too small and that I shouldn't have chosen this room for us to sleep in. I didn't see her after that she got up, so I think she's looking outside the window in the cargo bay."(Because Amanda is claustrophobic, from spending a week in that escape pod when her and Aries were on their way to Earth.)  
  
"Oh so you didn't get any sex or sleep damn man I feel for you." Erick said sympathetically.  
  
"That makes two of us." Amanda stood at the threshold of the room. "But you don't see me complaining."  
  
"Just get over here honey. We're just about ready so if anyone has any second thoughts then now is the time of forever hold your peace. Because this thing only has enough juice for one jump and if I remember correctly they haven't discovered Dargon yet. So you need to yourself over here, so we can get this show on the road, unless you have changed your mind." Arron got up, walked to his wife, make her close her eyes and hold his hand while whispering something in her ear and brought to the back of the room closer to the time machine. Finishing her breakfast Aries stood up and walked over to Arron while Erick punched in the coordinates for where and when they wanted to end up. In a flash of blue light that surrounded the ship it disappeared into thin air.  
  
To be continued. 


	3. Lost and Rebuilt

Chapter Three: Lost and Rebuilt  
  
The sunlight entered the room and awoke him from his slumber. Zechs Marquise rolled over and put his arm around his beloved wife, Lucrezia Noin. He and Noin lived on the Mars Colony. They were part of the Teraforming project and been there for about a year when Noin found out was having a baby. Several weeks' later tests showed he was the father of identical twin girls. He felt himself just about to drift off when the door of their room slid and a little outline crept closer to the bed. When he felt the movement of the bed Zechs opened his eyes and saw one of his five- year old daughters, Aries staring back at him. She often came into their room in the mornings, he didn't know why but since Noin was a heavy sleeper Zechs was usually the only one awake to comfort the child. He helped her settle down in the middle of him and Noin and watched as she cuddled against her mother and fell back to sleep, still amazed that from himself he had helped create something so pure and innocent.  
  
When Noin woke up she found Aries next to her and her husband nowhere in the room. Noin headed to the kitchen turned the coffeemaker on and overheard Zechs talking to somebody.  
  
"Yes, we'll be there soon." he said, Noin couldn't see the person on the other side because the screen was being blocked by Zechs. Before she could get any closer he cut the connection and sat back in his chair.  
  
"Who was that?" she asked as she sat in his lap.  
  
"Relena, they are holding a meeting of the gundam pilots and want me to attend." Noin heard the click of the coffeemaker and got of Zechs' lap.  
  
"When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?" she asked from the kitchen. Zechs knew his wife too well to that she hated him going off a mission with out her and since they had the girls she would have to stay and watch them. So he pursued her into the kitchen placing his arms around her waist and his head in the crook of her neck. He started to nibble on her neck put she pulled away.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"What's wrong? Your leaving to see Relena to no doubt go on a mission of some kind and-" Zechs placed a finger over his wife's lips silencing her.  
  
"No, yes no doubt there's a mission but I told Relena we would be there soon." Noin felt embarrassed for talking to him like she did and just assuming that he would leave them behind.  
  
"Make breakfast and I'll pack our things and load them on the ship, we can be on Earth by tomorrow morning." She nodded and started to cook. At about eleven o'clock Aries came in the kitchen from the room her parents shared. She had heard her father and mother talking about going to Earth. Quite often she had heard stories of her mother and father's adventured there. They had told her that trees grew on there, for she had only seen one in a book. Also the book had pictures of the season's on Earth and animals that lived there. To her it seemed like a cool place well worth exploring.  
  
"Is daddy leaving?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, but we all are going to see your aunt Relena on Earth."  
  
"Whose is Aunt Relena?" The five year old asked as she vaguely remembered hearing the name but couldn't put a face to it.  
  
"I'll tell you later just get dressed and wake Amanda up."  
  
By the evening they were all packed, loaded and ready to go. Zechs wrote a letter to their commanding officer explaining them taking a leave of absence and his apologies at leaving on such short notice. Noin went through the small three-room apartment where they had spent the last six years of their lives. Noin had thought she wouldn't be sad about leaving the colony but she only felt the change of scenery would be good for the twins and she longed to see Earth again. Walking into their room she saw Zechs staring out the only window in their room. He had always loved to stand there and stare at the stars. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Come on everything is ready." Zechs nodded thoughtfully then walked towards the ship.  
  
The next morning they reached the Earth a set down near the coordinates Relena had given them. The meeting was at one o'clock in the afternoon so they could all sleep in. Aries woke up next morning to find that both her parents were still asleep. She got herself dressed and went into her sister's room.  
  
"Amanda wake up we're here." Aries tried to rouse her twin.  
  
"So, mom and dad aren't up yet."  
  
"Come on let's go explore. I hear they have trees here and all those interesting kind of things." She attempted to convince her twin.  
  
"No I'm still tired."  
  
"Alrighty." Aries left her sister's room and went over to the hatch. She had watched her mother press the red button next to the door to open and close it. So she tried it and the door opened and so did a ramp down to the ground. The first thing she noticed was the fragrance of all the flowers and plants. This being her first time on Earth Aries jumped out of the ship thinking that there was no gravity. Surprised by her inability to float Aries lost her footing and tumbling down the ramp way into a rose bush. Brushing herself the little girl felt a stinging sensation in her hand. Thorns from the bush had made their way into her hand and a little stream of blood coursed down her palm. Aries would have gone back inside the ship finished with her adventures but the ramp had already closed. And her parents had never showed her how to open it from the outside.  
  
A plan formed in her mind to go get someone to help her open the door. She looked down the driveway and saw a big building. 'I'm sure that would be a good place to find someone to help me.' she thought as she skipped to it. Aries entered the base unnoticed because of her small stature. The halls were long and all looked the same. After taking a few turns she was hopelessly lost. As a last ditch effort she called for her family each by name. But to no avail they didn't hear her.  
  
"You hear that Duo?" Hilde asked her husband.  
  
"What?" she shifted their six moths old, Arron in her arms and pointed to the direction of the strange noise.  
  
"Let's go and find out what that is," she suggested. They followed the cries down the long hallway.  
  
To be continued. 


	4. The Errand

Chapter Four: The Errand  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In the Spaceship~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Zechs and Noin were thoroughly exhausted from their journey and other nightly activities during the night.  
  
"Good morning." He whispered softly. After a few minutes Zechs and Noin got dressed and she went to check on her two daughters. Amanda was in the room sleeping silently so Noin didn't wake her. But then to her horror she noticed that there was only one body in the bed where last night there had been two. Looking all around the small room Noin didn't see the five year old. After checking the whole ship twice, no Aries.  
  
"Zechs where's Aries?" she questioned afraid of the answer.  
  
"What did you mean? Isn't she in her room?"  
  
"If she was there do you think I would be asking you?" an argument was beginning and probably would have erupted if Amanda hadn't walked in the room at that moment.  
  
"Amanda where's your sister?" Noin said  
  
"Um.... she woke me up this morning and said she was going to explore this place a little. She wanted me to come but I said I was tired. And then she left I guess."  
  
"What, left?" the two parents said simultaneously.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hilde, with Duo in tow approached a sobbing little girl. She had sat down leaning against the wall crying.  
  
"Hi sweetheart, why are you crying and where are your parents?" she asked bending down to the child's level.  
  
"Their in the ship.... I don't know how to open the door and I don't know where the ship is and no one but my sister knows I am gone."  
  
"Well what's your name we'll see if we can get you back to your parents."  
  
"My name is Aries Marquiez."  
  
"Marquiez huh, you wouldn't happen to be Zechs' kid would you?" Duo asked as Hilde pasted him his year old son Arron.  
  
"Yea that's my daddy's name." Aries' expression bighted that these people knew her dad.  
  
"Well come on then I'm sure we can find him." Hilde held out her hand for Aries but saw when she was about to grasp it the blood that had dried into he creases of her hand.  
  
"What happened to your hand Aries?"  
  
"Oh I fell out of the ship and this green and red thing with these pitchy things on it bit me."  
  
" It bit you? Well then how about we go to the infirmary first and then go find your mom and dad?"  
  
"Ok" she wiped the tears out of her eyes and walked along with the Maxwell's.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Zechs what if something happened to her?" Noin paced around the ship.  
  
"Lucrezia, calm down, you go meet the others and I will go find Aries." Zechs attempted to kiss his wife but she pulled away.  
  
"Calm down! She's five years old for God's sake Zechs. She has never even been on this planet in her life and now she missing and you want me to calm down?" Zechs leaned over again this time catching his wife in a rough kiss.  
  
"Yes, I do. She's a smart girl she'd be ok. Now just take Amanda and go to the conference room and meet the others and I will go search for Aries ok?"  
  
"Alright." They walked to the base, Noin and Amanda going one way and Zechs going another.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~The Conference Room  
  
Noin walked into the room and was greeted warmly by everyone except Lady Une who just nodded curtly at her and raised her eyebrows at Amanda.  
  
"Noin were so glad you could join us here." Relena said to her.  
  
"Oh yes we are exceptionally thrilled that you could attend." Une said sarcastically as Relena bent down to Amanda's level.  
  
"It's good to see something never change. How are you these days Une?"  
  
"I'm just fine thank you for your concern." The conversation was friendly enough but the feeling behind them gave away the dislike and friendless tone of both women.  
  
"Hi there. My name is Relena what is yours?" She said kindly/  
  
"I'm Amanda."  
  
"Well it's nice to meet you finally last time I saw you were in your mother's belly. Did you know I am your father's sister?"  
  
"Yeah." Relena stood up "Speaking of my dear brother where is Milliardo?"  
  
"He's coming soon he just has to run an errand."  
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**  
  
To be continued. 


	5. Found

Chapter Five: Found and Found Out  
  
Zechs walked along the seemingly endless corridors. He turned left and heard a shrill scream and went to investigate. A door at the end of the hall was left ajar and through the crack he saw the three Maxwell's and a man approaching Aries.  
  
"Honey the doctor has to pull them out or it might get infected and you won't heal correctly. Then if it gets infected you might have to have surgery. You don't want that do you?" Tears were streaming down the little girl's face, clutching her injured hand in a vice like hold. Despite the doctor's plea Aries wouldn't let him get near her hand. She screamed again as the doctor tried to get to her hand with the tweezers. As Zechs saw the frustration on the doctor face he opened the door and stepped inside the room, eyeing the doctor suspiciously.  
  
"Daddy!" the child exclaimed her eyes brightening.  
  
"You all right?" he questioned.  
  
"I'm sorry daddy I just wanted to see what the Earth looked like and then I didn't float and fell and couldn't get back in the ship so I went inside and then these people that knew you found me and then brought me here." She began to sob even harder  
  
"Are you alright?" he repeated slowly  
  
"Yea but I got these things stuck in my hand and they really hurt." she held out her hand for her father to see. It had swollen up around the wound and puss and blood kept forming in little bubbles.  
  
"Calm down. Let me see." He looked at his daughter's hand and then grabbed the tweezers out of the doctor's hand. One by One, without a whimper or hint of protest he picked out the thorns. When he finished he looked at his daughters hand then took her into his arms. With a quick nod of appreciation to Duo and Hilde, Zechs left the room for the conference room. He entered the conference room silently immediate catching Noin's eye. Lady Une who was conducting the briefing stopped until Zechs sat down with Aries and everyone did a double take in bewilderment that there the two children were identical. However when Zechs cleared his throat the briefing continued.  
  
"Over the past few years rebels have been growing in number and strength. They have committed several robberies. Now they threaten the peace of the Earth and space colonies. The gundam have all readied for battle and we intend to hit them in their base. If this situation worsens any further we might have another interstellar war on our hands," Lady Une took out a box containing ten sets of matching card keys. " You have all been given a room on this base. Now if you wish you may come with me and see the gundam but I must ask that young children be kept in the upper base for their own safety." Une spoke almost directly to Noin and the two shared a tense glare.  
  
Everyone rose either to go see the gundam or to retire to their rooms. Aries had fallen asleep in her father's lap and woke with a start when Zechs got up.  
  
"Come here honey." Noin beaconed to Aries.  
  
"Lucrezia what are you doing?"  
  
"Don't you want to go look at your gundam? You haven't seen it in a while."  
  
"It will still be there later. Let's go to the galley."  
  
A frustrated Noin emerged from the galley an hour later. Aries had refused to eat anything on her plate and when Noin tried to feed it to her she just made even more of a fuss and refused even more. After fifteen minutes of trying to force her Noin gave up. Just as they had entered there quarters Aries came up to Noin and asked if she could have sandwich. She contained her urge to scold the child besides now that Aries wanted to eat that was a plus no matter when it came. Noin made her way back to the galley and stole behind the counter to the refrigerator.  
  
Once done Noin placed the sandwich into a plastic bag and made her way back to her quarters. As she was walking down the hallway past the infirmary noises caught her attention. Voices were coming from the half open infirmary. One of the voices struck her as familiar. Creeping closer to listen Noin stood by the infirmary door.  
  
"Is he ok?" The lady asked. Noin could see thought the crack in the door the Lady Une was on a bed with, the doctor that she had seen at the meeting looking down at her. The doctor was moving the cursor that was attached to a huge machine across Une's stomach.  
  
"He seems fine, although he is a little small for three months but that may still correct it's self. Midii I have to tell you being cramped in that corset doesn't help. Why don't you just tell everyone it'll be much easier than going thought this?"  
  
"Peter I can't. They would ask how I got pregnant. And I couldn't bear to tell them." Noin didn't see it but the young mans' face darkened.  
  
"How did you become pregnant?" he asked timidly. Une hesitated then spoke  
  
"I was raped." Une still remembered that day clearly. She had been coming home from work and was surprised from behind and the man was so large that she didn't have any chance in fighting back and once he hadn't taken what he wanted from her he left her lying on her living room floor.  
  
"Oh. I'm so sorry."  
  
"See that's exactly what I didn't want. I don't need anyone's pity. Now imagine what the others would say, especially Noin she'd have a field day with this."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The wife of the man who came in with the little girl. She and I don't get along too well."  
  
"Well you know Midii you could have aborted the baby once you found out." Peter got back to the subject he wanted to know about.  
  
"How could I? I've always wanted a child, and after Treize died I didn't think I would ever get that chance. I'm angry about what happened to me but I didn't have the heart to get rid of him just because of the way he was brought into this world."  
  
"Well you can't keep this up forever."  
  
"I know I'm just hoping that this situation will be resolved by the time I'm that much further along."  
  
"I'm sorry to tell you but you need to stay off your feet more. Those lectures like the one these afternoons aren't helping any." The doctor handed Une a small towel and shut the machine down, afterwards helping Une sit up. Une grabbed the corset at the side of her and began to put it on.  
  
"Why don't you just leave it off until you get to your quarters?"  
  
"No, what if someone sees me?"  
  
"How about I walk you there." Une began to fasten the garment.  
  
"Then just don't fasten it so tight." Peter took the strings in his hands and loosely tied it.  
  
"But now I look like I just gained ten pounds."  
  
"You did. Midii which is more important to you, your vanity or your baby's health." he leaned over to Une brushing his lips on hers." Ever since we met I've realized I care about you a lot."  
  
"Peter please, let's not have this discussion again."  
  
"Why not, I.... love you and your baby and I would be honored to take care of you."  
  
"I don't need taking care of I can do it just fine myself." He handed her shirt and she slipped it over her head. As Peter helped Une off the bed he didn't let go. Leaning in slowing he pressed his lips to hers. Since the first time they had kissed Une could never resist the sweet taste of the good doctor. She responded by parting her lips, granting him access to the inside of her mouth. As they broke for air they were both breathing heavy and disconcerted.  
  
"I have go to my quarters." Une stepped away from the young man. He walked beside her to the door. Noin stopped listening stole around the corner. She listened as the pair walked down the opposite hall then walked quickly to her own quarters. On entering Noin went into her Aries' room and handed her the sandwich.  
  
"Thank you mommy."  
  
"Your welcome, now after you eat that go straight to bed." The little girl nodded as Noin left the room. Entering her room she dressed for bed and then climbed in next to her husband. She was just about to settle in when Zechs rolled over and put his arm around her waist.  
  
"What did you have to do bake the bread?"  
  
"No I did not. I was coming back from the galley when I pasted the infirmary and heard Lady Une talking to the doctor; actually they were doing a little more then talking. Only he wasn't only her doctor. Did you know she's three months pregnant?"  
  
"That's nice." Zechs began to kiss her neck, sliding her shirt up her firm belly.  
  
"The thing I don't understand is why wouldn't she tells us and try to hide it?" Zechs groaned and continued with his ministration. He began to move downward with his kisses trying to cover her mouth.  
  
"I mean why go through the pain of having your stomach shoved in a corset and then trying to hide it. I thought something was a miss earlier on but I couldn't put my finger on it." However when he looked into the eyes of his wife he saw that she wanted real answers.  
  
"Lucretzia you and her haven't quite been the best of friends, maybe she didn't want you to see her pregnant. Remember when Relena offered to come to Mars and help you when the girls came, You said it was bad enough having me see you and you didn't want my sister pity or charity Or maybe she didn't want your emotions towards her to soften." Zechs lifted her nightshirt further up her torso exposing the soft flesh of her breasts beginning to nibble softly through the fabric of her bra.  
  
"Yea, maybe but that still doesn't make sense why would she want us to continue with this animosity between us."  
  
"Why does it bother you so much anyway?" he stop his kisses and guided Noin's head to his chest knowing that he would get response to his kisses.  
  
"Well I can't go on being horrible to her when she's like this."  
  
"Do you think she would have said that if she had seen you when you were pregnant?"  
  
"That's not the point." She looked up at him ready to argue her case, but he was already asleep.  
  
To be continued. 


	6. Battlestations

Chapter Six: Battle stations  
  
Early next morning a frantic knock on the door woke Noin. She looked around for the noisemaker, discovered it was the door and got out of bed to answer it. It was Herro.  
  
"What?" she was almost afraid to ask as a visit this early and that anxious could only mean one thing; trouble.  
  
"The rebels are about to attack a military installation in space, there is an emergency briefing." Hero chose his words carefully.  
  
"Well I'm sure the other pilots can handle it. Zechs needs his sleep." Noin said quickly, panic rising from the pit of her stomach.  
  
"Lucretzia who's at the door?" Zechs asked as he got up from the bed.  
  
"Nobody Zechs, go back to sleep." She tried to close the door on Hero, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't just go away. For the first time in years she felt the almost instinctual need to protect and keep her family together, knowing that the briefing could negate both of those feelings.  
  
"Zechs, there's an emergency briefing in the conference room now." Zechs got dressed then walked to the door.  
  
"You can't go, what am I going to tell the girls?" Noin grabbed his arm.  
  
"Noin I have to go. I have to go protect the world we live in now so that the girls can enjoy it." But she still wouldn't let go of his arm. Feeling that time was of the essence Zechs swept his other arm under his wife, sweeping her off her feet and carried her all the way to the conference room. When they arrived the screens were turned on and the fight already under way.  
  
"Alright we launch the Gundams in an hour to meet the rebels." A tired Une stated.  
  
Zechs felt set Noin down in a chair next to him, noting the distinct angst on her face. Attempting to soothe some of her emotions Zechs rested his hand on his wife's thigh as Herro stood up to speak. Through the breifing Zechs felt her began to shiver and realized she was clad in pants and a sleeveless shirt. Noin fell asleep as the meeting continued dreading the departure of her husband.  
  
As the meeting finished Zechs was tempted to let Noin sleep. However she would hate him for not waking her up and saying good-bye and then getting hurt or worse in battle. She woke and accompanied Zechs to the lower deck. Much to the dislike of the matinence and security Noin climbed into the cockpit of the Tallgeese III. Zechs sat there in the chair and let Noin sit on his lap.  
  
"You don't have to go, you can take the next bat-" her thoughts all slipped out at once but diverged as Zechs slipped his tongue into her mouth and tasted the sweetness he loved so much about her. Noin could sense her husband becoming aroused. She was tempted to take his clothes off and make love with him right there. She stared at him refreshing her memory and memorizing every contour of his face hoping that this would not be the last time she would see it. Letting her anxiety run away with her she started to imagine if she would be able to go on with out him. Zechs' keen eyes saw her own grow damp with tears. He cupped her face with his hands  
  
"Lucretzia..." he tired to continue however his throat had constricted much too even speak. So they just held each other.  
  
"All non essential personal must leave the area before departure of the Gundams." came the voice of the maintence chief.  
  
"Tell the girls I love them," he said finding his voice once more  
  
"Let me tell you something for you information, if you manage to get your self blown up or something and leave me a widow to raise those children on my own, when we are together in the afterlife I will still be mad at you." He leaned over kissing her lips for what might be the last time. Zechs then opened the hatch and let Noin climb out of the massive machine.  
  
The floor was cold when Noin stepped down on it barefoot. She unconsciously began to shiver as she waved to the departing mobile suits. Those were not pilots walked up to the conference room to watch the battle unfold. As the two sides clashed the Gundams were doing as well as they could out numbered twenty to one. But soon the sheer force of numbers began to catch up with them and they began to falter.  
  
An enemy suit as big as the Gundams stealthy made its way behind the engaged Tallgeese III. It activated the laser sword and positioned itself for a direct hit on the Tallgeese. Noin sprung from her chair and tired to contact her husband and warn him of the impending danger.  
  
"Zechs behind you!" she screamed thought the COM system.  
  
He heard the frantic yell from Noin. Even though he was a skilled pilot, no amount of speed or strength would get him out of the bind. In no more than an instant his whole life flashed before him, from the times when he was a young prince in the Sank Kingdom to the last time he had kissed his beloved Noin in this very cockpit. The Gundam like suit raised it's sword to converge upon its target, Lowering at what seemed like inches per second. Zechs wait for the fatal blow and said a quiet prayer that his loved ones would be well taken care of after he was gone.  
  
To be continued. 


	7. Allies

Chapter Seven: Allies  
  
As if some divine being had heard his prayers, just as the sword was about to make contact with the Tallgeese III the suit burst into flames leaving the Tallgeese unharmed. Noin cried for some kind of response from Zechs but none came. Three more mean looking Gundams stood behind the destroyed suit. In a matter of minutes they evened the score and annulated the enemy. Noin cried with joy, as all the news came that the Gundams has won the day.  
  
As all the Gundams landed back at the base the ground forces prepared to meet with the new pilots. Taking every precaution the guards pointed their weapons in the direction of the new pilots. Lady Une stepped forward and spoke with the pilot in front.  
  
" Thank you for your assistance in the battle. However we're all curious to find out what you how you built your Gundams and why you helped us." The three pilots stepped forward to meet Une, removing their helmets. Erick, Arron and Aries stared back at Une and Arron stepped closer to speak. But before he could get the words out Duo joined the group and exclaimed at Aries.  
  
"You pilot that gundam?" he asked in shock. Aries flicked her black hair behind her and walked up to Duo poking him in the chest.  
  
"Yes I pilot that Gundam. And I do better job at it than you thank you very much."  
  
"Hey, we're supposed to be on the same side here. Not criticizing like that; you need to focus on our objective." Erick said from his position behind Arron. Aries glared at Erick then walked over to her Gundam and leaned against it. With a few moments delay Erick walked over to Aries and stood next to her wearing the same the same expression as her.  
  
"Excuse me you never answered our question." Une repeated and the three strangers were faced with a room full of eager to know people.  
  
"Sorry. We'll be glad to tell you as soon as I attended to one matter of business." Arron apologized.  
  
"One matter of business what do you think this is a bank or something?" Une said spitefully.  
  
"Une, they saved our asses back there they deserve that at the very least," Commented Trowa. "What is your matter of business?"  
  
"I need to contact my-" Arron began but was cut of by the loud buzz of the door opening and a man running in winded.  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am. but there's a woman. at the front who is insisting on speaking.. with one of the new Gundam pilots." the security chief interrupted. " We invited her inside under escort to go and look for the person she needs to speak with but she refused. She won't do anything but pace outside of the complex. And she has parked her ship right in front of the entrance."  
  
" Ahh.That sounds like my Melanie, I'll go get her." Arron added hoping the false name he had used was the right one for referring to Amanda.  
  
" You stay here and I'll go escort her to the briefing room where we conduct the rest of this meeting." Zechs offered, feeling the need to get out of the room. For the female pilot seemed to not be able to take her eyes off him and it was making him very uncomfortable.  
  
"Well then I'll have to insist that I come with you, because Melanie is claustrophobic. She won't come inside unless I am with her. Your briefing room has windows right?"  
  
" One I believe." Zechs replied. And began to walk to the door gesturing for Arron to follow.  
  
Leading Arron to the front of the base he saw their large ship settled right in front of the entrance making it almost impossible to get out and a woman with light grayish hair and blue eyes run up to Arron and hug him tightly, almost knocking him off his feet.  
  
"Hey babe how you doing did you get here all right?" he said to her.  
  
" Yea I got here ok. Arron I was so worried that something happen to you, how did the fight go, how are the others?" she spat all at once.  
  
"All in a minute, but first you have to move this tub of lard over there onto the grassy area." He smiled when she pouted, silently asking him to do it for her. Narrowing his eyes at her for a second he stepped over to the open door of the ship and began to reposition the craft. Feeling awkward but excited to see her father evaluate her Amanda figured it would break the ice if she introduced herself as much as she could without spilling too much of the information that was doing loops around her brain.  
  
"Hi, my name is Melanie." She held out her hand for him to shake and he took graciously.  
  
"Hello." He was going to say more but became unnerved when Amanda wouldn't let go of his hand. Walking up to the silent pair Arron saw the situation unfolding. Almost snatching his hand back Zechs instructed them to enter the building when he observed all the color drain from Amanda's face.  
  
"We're not going in there?" the young woman pointed fearfully.  
  
"You know we are honey so why even ask."  
  
"Because your sick if you think I'm going in there." Amanda protested.  
  
"Then you busted me I'm sick."  
  
"But in there..." she whispered.  
  
"Well there isn't any place else place else Mel, you can do it I'll be right here with you." he intertwined his wife's arm with his and let her bury her face in his chest. Slowly and tremulously Amanda walked cradled by her husband to the roomy conference room where she sat down next to the conference room where she sat next to Arron and Aries.  
  
"Hey sis, you alright?" Amanda asked her sibling but she just nodded and smiled. There was a moment of silence mixed with curiosity as the whole room noticed that except for the hair and eyes the two young women were exactly alike. To the relief of the newcomers no one voiced or pursued the line of thought.  
  
Lady Une took to the head of the table once again and began to speak. " This was a very important victory for us. I must thank our guests for assisting us in the fight. But I must also ask who are you and where did you come from because we had no ships on radar at the time of your appearance and the material of you Gundams appears to be highly advanced." Since it looked like every one of his companies had come down with lockjaw Arron decide to answer the lady's question.  
  
"Well then let me introduce ourselves. My name is Arron, this is my wife A- Melanie," he had almost forgotten the alias' the two women had to go by. "Then we have my sister in law "Arron had also forgotten Aries' assumed name "And then Erick. We are on the same side let me assure you we don't want there to be another war. Where we came from is difficult to explain since we are forced to secrecy but let me say we did not come from anywhere too many light years away."  
  
"How did you know where the fight was then and just when to get involved?" Une asked sitting down in a chair to stop her feet and back from aching and throbbing painfully.  
  
"Luck I suppose,"  
  
"Well let me just say that while we have won this time our work is not yet done. I have come to learn that there is a rebel colony on Jupiter that is stockpiling weapons and soldiers in preparation for an invasion. A new mission has been set to go in quietly and sabotage their base and destroy their base. Any volunteers?"  
  
"We'd be happy to go provided that you keep my wife on this base so she is not in any danger." Arron said.  
  
"No way, I'm going with you. I'm sick and tired of being left out especially since this will be our last fight?" She looked somberly at her companions and they slowly acknowledged the fact.  
  
"Hopefully this will be the last fight there is. Zechs and Noin would you accompany our new friends on the mission?" Une spoke the phrase lightly for she was now getting dizzy.  
  
Zechs looked at Noin for a brief moment then answered 'yes' to the ex colonel knowing she had picked them to keep an eye on their new 'friends' and to if need be get the job done.  
  
"Alright then, we will depart tomorrow morning to a ship that will take the team and a few others to Jupiter. You are dismissed. " And Lady Une curtly walked out of the room quickly following by the chief medical officer. Noin tried no to notice but through out the whole briefing the two female strangers had been staring at her husband the whole time, their eyes only leaving him once when one of them spoke. And not only the fact that they seemed to be staring at him bothered her, it was also that one of the women had a look of pure disgust while she was staring at Zechs. As soon as Une had dismissed them everyone started to get up and exit the room and Noin figured that now was the best time to introduce herself to the new acquaintances and find out what was the deal with them.  
  
" Hello, name is Lucretzia Noin, I just thought I would come over here an introduce myself." She said as she walked up to the group.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sarah; this is Erick and my sister Melanie and her husband Arron." Aries tired to stop her voice from shaking while introducing herself and her sister to their own mother. Erick and Arron smiled warmly at Noin while Amanda sat back in the chair closing her eyes "Please excuse my sister, she's not trying to be rude it's just she is very claustrophobic." As her attention turned towards Zechs Noin noticed the fraction of a second look of pure disgust and a look of guilt crossing it a moment later.  
  
"Oh, that's a shame could you think of a reason why she would be like that?"  
  
"Um.not really." Aries lied to her mother. As she finished her sentence Zechs walked over to where his wife stood. Then the ex Lt. became aware of the same look of revulsion crossing Sarah's face.  
  
"This is my husband Zechs."  
  
"How nice." Aries set a fake smile on her face. Noticing the expression his wife had Erick thought it would be best if they left. Hearing the fake tone of happiness and the deep rooted sarcasm Aries was so good at he walked up behind her, trying to tell his lover to drop the bitterness she seemed to harbor for her father for someone reason he could not fathom.  
  
"A-Sarah, why don't we go back to the ship for the night wouldn't want to keep these nice people from their family. It was nice meeting you Miss Noin and you too Zechs we'll see you in the morning." Taking hold of her hand Erick half pulled Aries out of the room Arron and reluctantly Amanda following.  
  
"I don't think they liked us Zechs." Noin said as she walked back to the quarters where the little Aries and Amanda slept.  
  
"Lucretzia it wasn't you who they didn't like. But that better not be enough of a problem to keep us from completing the mission." Zechs slid the card key through the scanner and then door opened. Sitting down he sipped the coffee that Noin had just made a peculiar bit of information cropped out that she hadn't noticed before.  
  
"Zechs, when we were talking to those new people one of the guys did say that he shouldn't keep us away from our family anymore didn't he?" Zechs thought back to an hour ago.  
  
"Yeah he did, why does it matter?" he questioned, brushing strands of hair from his spouse's face.  
  
"Well I mean I don't know about you but I have never seen them before in my life therefore how do they know that we have a family other then you and me. I mean the girls were here sleeping and we didn't talk about them and there was no reference made to them by the others, so how would they know?"  
  
"Hmm, that is a good question. You're right they shouldn't' really know that we have children." He added  
  
"Well they did say they were going back to their ship I'm pretty sure it can't be too hard to find." Lucretzia's voice trailed off.  
  
"Uh oh, I think I know where this is going." Knowing that one of his wife's 'sneak around until you've found out everything' plan was coming on.  
  
"Ahh come on you can stay here and I'll just go, I won't be too long. " She pleaded.  
  
"If you think I will let you go alone then you don't know me as well as you should. "Zechs' face lit up with mischief and Noin chuckled as she put her cup of coffee on the table. Being struck with a hint of inspiration Zechs fumbled around in a bag at the side of the couch and took out the pair of baby monitors they used to use when the twins were younger.  
  
"Here we'll use these." He handed one to his partner and took the other one inside the room where the girls slept serenely.  
  
"I like the way you think."  
  
"Isn't that part of why you married me?" Zechs drew her close and began to kiss her neck. Despite the overwhelming urge to take this further her curiosity had been peaked and at this moment it over rode her libido.  
  
"We can do that later." She pushed herself away from him and exited the room Zechs close behind her.  
  
To be continued. 


	8. Reconciliation

Chapter Eight: Reconciliation  
  
Once outside the compound the pair found what they were looking for. and walked towards it. Approaching it Zechs and Noin noticed the ship they noticed that the entrance to the ship remained open.  
  
" I wonder why they left it open."  
  
"Who knows." Zechs replied he was about to say something else when he heard footsteps come closer to the door.  
  
"I can't do this Arron, I hate that room, I hate this ship, I hate that we can't just go talk to them. And that's only what this is doing me Aries is more distant then she has ever been it seems that Erick is the only person she talks to. But I mean how often to you get to talk to your dead parents." Arron tried to answer but a look from his wife stopped him." And I hate those damns names, I am proud of my name."  
  
"I know you are honey, but you can't tell them, it could contaminate the time stream. It's not just us we have to think about, in that building is the past forms of you and Aries plus how do you think they would feel if they met their future daughters and they find out that Aries hates Zechs because he chose to save you two and sent you to my family in that tiny capsule," he paused embracing his wife, covering her like a blanket. "I'm sorry, you knew it would be painful but I didn't think coming back would bring you and Aries so much pain." Kissing her neck Arron ran his hands down her physique massaging his way down to her stomach.  
  
"No it's better this way, we have to deal with our feelings instead of just burying them, look what buried feelings did to Aries, let's go outside I need some fresh air." Amanda led her spouse to the open hatch. Noin gestured to Zechs to move in the bushes quickly however it was too late and the couple heard the rustling of the bush.  
  
"Who's there?" Arron called in a tense voice, Amanda standing behind him. Walking over to the sound of the rustling, he stood there and spoke again. "Who's there?" he asked again in a harsher tone.  
  
"It's just us." Noin came out if the bushes and stepped into the light of the open door hands in the air  
  
"You said us." Arron said his eyes narrowing and looking around for an 'us'.  
  
"Yes she did." Zechs followed his wife's led and stepped next to her.  
  
"What are you two doing here?"  
  
"Well you see I was just curious about something you said earlier and I was kind of hoping you could explain for me." She wrung her hands out of nerves. "But now I guess we know why you said that. We're sorry for invading your privacy." She grabbed Zechs' hand and began to walk away.  
  
"Wait! Now you know there is no point in keeping the secret anymore is there?" A look of elation settled on the young woman's face. Before anyone had a chance to say anything more another duel pair of footsteps.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Aries asked in a dull monotone.  
  
"They wanted to talk to us." Her twin sister offered. "But they heard me and Arron talking and..."  
  
"Don't tell me you were talking about where we came from and that we are related to them." Amanda nodded timidly as her slightly older twin continued to rant. " And now they know that we're future and-" Aries stopped and let out what seemed to a low growl.  
  
"How could you be so stupid? I mean of all the idiotic-" Aries fumed unable to convert her rage into words.  
  
"Aries calm down, that's enough." Erick soothed.  
  
"No Erick, damnit it's has been hard enough just seeing them and now cuz of Amanda's big mouth they know about our connection to them and-"she was cut off by Erick's arms encircled her.  
  
"Breathe Aries, don't talk just breathe."  
  
" No God damnit! It's not fair."  
  
"Shhh." He soothed rubbing her back in rhythmic circles. "I know it's not but weren't you just saying how nice it was to see your mother again?" Aries nodded softly.  
  
"My apologies, how about we all sit down and talk about this because I know you guys are probably confused as hell right now. "Arron offered and the group sat down on the soft grass, Aries sitting as far away from Zechs as she could manage while still being part of the group.  
  
"Now, we're from the future as Aries has already said and we built a machine that allows us to come back in time to a certain point." Arron explained figuring that now they knew the most important thing that sharing the other details would not be a problem.  
  
"Why did you choose to back to this place?" Noin though out loud before she could stop herself.  
  
"Because this mission that we are going on the Zechs and Noin of our time died on that mission."  
  
"How?" Zechs pondered.  
  
"Me and Amanda snuck onto dad's ship and then we got caught.and then daddy broke free and started to fight and so did mom and then there was gunfire and we managed to get all the way back to the ship. B-But as dad was starting the ship mom collapsed and we realized that she had been shot." Aries' voice broke and she sobbed into Erick's chest the painful memory surfacing like it had only happened yesterday.  
  
"So dad goes over to mom to try and help but it's too late I guess she had loss too much blood and she died asking dad to take care of us," Amanda continued. "But dad was so grief stricken that he fired up the escape pod, set it for Earth and forced us into it only telling us he loved us and would meet again."  
  
"What kind of care is that?" Aries managed to say her rage momentarily overriding her grief.  
  
"Aries, Amanda remember, this Zechs and Noin didn't do anything." Erick reiterated as he looked over at Noin to see tears streaming down her face. "You can't be mad it them for something your parents did like I was trying to tell you earlier  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered.  
  
"No, it's not your fault mo-ahh I mean Miss Noin. It's his fault and mine." The distressed woman pointed a shaky finger at Zechs.  
  
"How is this anyone's fault?" Noin inquired.  
  
"He left us! He just stuck us in that capsule and went and got himself blown up! And I was the reason we were there in the first place." Aries screamed.  
  
"So Miss Aries you are going to criticize your father for loving your mother? And beat yourself up for living?" Zechs asked wanting to play out the anger that he had so often felt after his parents had been slaughtered.  
  
"Well, well He didn't love us enough to come with us. And it's all my fault."  
  
"Come here Aries," the older woman beaconed When she hesitated Noin went over to Aries, cradling her like she had cradled young Aries. "You know what I think. I think that your father knew that that there wasn't enough room in that capsule for anymore then two little people. And that he acted as a decoy for you two to get away. I'm sure it was a hard decision to make but if your father and my Zechs are one in the same then he did what he did because he adores you and couldn't live with the fact that his little angels would face such a grim fate as his."  
  
"He never called us angels."Aries mumbled.  
  
"Never out loud but I know he thinks it everyday." Noin whispered back as Aries lifted up her and head to her mother. "Why don't you forgive yourself, you were curious and hell with us as your parents how could you be anyway else. Then you can try to forgive your father for making that sacrifice for you." Noin kissed Aries on the forehead and released her.  
  
"I couldn't do that, I've hated my life and his memory for you long there is no reason that he should forgive me."  
  
"How about you try me?" He said smirking. Crawling over the grass to where he sat Aries spread her arms accepting him into a warm embrace.  
  
"I'm sorry..." she sobbed into Zechs' shirt slowly Zechs wrapped his arms around his daughter.  
  
"It's alright. I understand and now that you bring this issue to light if I were ever in that situation that is what I would do. But I expect you hate for doing it but I would never want you hate yourself for livining" He smiled at Aries as she clung to him for dear life. After a few more minutes she young woman broke away from him.  
  
"Well we should let you get back now, it was never our intention to pull you away from your family." Amanda said solemnly. She really wanted a hug like Aries got from their mother and father but didn't want to ask too much of them.  
  
"Oh Amanda, it's no trouble at all, come here sweetheart." Noin held her arms out to Amanda. It was the best feeling in the world to Amanda at least for a few minutes fool herself in to thinking that she had both of her parents back.  
  
After a couple more hours of talking Zechs and Noin felt it was time to go back to their room to check on the girls and depart for the mission in another three hours. As soon the couple entered the room they heard yells and screams of excitement. Finding the source they entered Aries and Amanda's room to find them using the bed as a trampoline and throwing the cotton from the unzipped pillow at each other.  
  
"Well at least they didn't miss us." Zechs uttered as the girls stopped their play to face their parents trying to look innocent enough not get scolded for jumping on the bed and throwing stuff at each other.  
  
"Morning." They said in harmony.  
  
"How many times have I told you not to jump on the bed?"  
  
"Not that many." Aries replied to her mother.  
  
"Yeah right, but get dressed and lets go for breakfast your father and I have something to tell you." Zechs watched in amusement as the girls quickly scurried off to the bag in the corner that contained their clothes. Once in the galley Noin ordered breakfast for the four and they sat down at the small table.  
  
"What did you want to tell us?" Aries inquired  
  
"Umm well.." Noin couldn't find the word to explain  
  
"Your mother and I have to leave a mission to sneak into the bad guy's headquarters and dismantled his equipment-"  
  
"You're leaving?" they said in the same unity as before.  
  
"Yes, but we'll only be gone for a few days at the most ." The former officer thought it would be best to leave out the part where there was a chance they might not come back.  
  
"But we don't want to you go." Aries explained.  
  
"I'm sorry honey we have to but we promise after this we will spend all the time in the world together." Noin promised her daughters. Identical worried looks crossed the little girls' faces as they got up from their seats and sat on their parents' lap. They sat like that for longer then either of them knew, just savoring the calm before the battle.  
  
"Where have you guys been?" Duo sat down at the table-cradling baby Arron. "You guys were supposed to be on the lower deck ten minutes ago. Une asked me to go find you."  
  
"Oh is it that time already sorry, we're ready." Noin gathered Amanda more tightly and stood up.  
  
To be continued. 


	9. New Plans and a Past Rehashed

Chapter Nine: Mission to Jupiter a Past Rehashed  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Where were you guys?" an angry ex colonel asked them.  
  
"We're here now." Zechs muttered tersely. Noin placed Amanda on the floor then knelt down to her level.  
  
"Now you be good for me and your dad alright and before you know it we'll be back ok. "She held back the tears hugging the precious child.  
  
"Ok Zechs, Noin your prime objective is to take this disk and implant the virus it has on to the main computer on the Jupiter base. We don't know how well guarded it is so that is where you guys come in," Une pointed at Aries and the others. "You Sarah and the two guys are to make a distraction for Zechs and Noin to get to the main computer. Then this is where you come in Melanie," Une turned to Aries. "It will be your-"  
  
"Excuse me I'm Sarah, She is Melanie." Aries gestured at Amanda.  
  
"My mistake you two look so alike. As I was saying Melanie it will be your job once you Zechs and Noin have gotten to the main computer you will break into their system like you did with ours."  
  
"You broke into hacked your way into their system?" Arron questioned his wife.  
  
"Well I figured it would be the fastest way to reach you guys. But then it turned out to be a dud so I figured parking the ship in front of the doors ought to attract some attention." She smiled innocently while Zechs smirked and Noin tried hard not to laugh.  
  
" That's very nice. Now can we concentrate? Once you are in their system that's when you implant the virus. Once it has been uploaded there is no stopping it and you will have 15 minutes to get out of the base and back to the ship." Amanda nodded. "Alright you leave now we have installed several turbo engines to your ship and you will reach Jupiter in about four hours. Good luck." The six nodded at each and to Une, stepping towards the ship Zechs and Noin waved goodbye to the girls.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Most of their time since take off had been wiled away in a silence that none seemed to want to break. Aries sat next to Erick, her head resting on his shoulder. Zechs and Noin just sat looking out the window.  
  
"Forty-five minutes until we reach the base." Amanda informed the crew.  
  
"Arron, Aries we'd better get the Gundams ready." Erick suggested and Arron followed the two to the cargo bay.  
  
"So tell me Amanda, how did you learn to hack?" Zechs asked wondered why and how his descendant had acquired the talent.  
  
"Ahh, I think I just picked things up here and there while growing up, Arron's dad was pretty good at it and I just learned by watching him until I was about twenty. Then when me and Arron got married and got our own place I began to try out what I had watched and somehow I just got good at it."  
  
"Was your wedding nice?" Noin pitched into the conversation wondering what her daughters wedding would be like, she would want it to be extra special since she had never had a ceremony.  
  
"It was good but I don't really have more then a few good memories from it." Amanda said trying to downplay the events  
  
"Why not I mean surely the whole day and night must have been memorable you only get married once or so that's how it should be?" Noin feeling that there was a missing piece to the picture.  
  
"Oh yeah the day and night was memorable, but not because I got married on that day." Amanda almost bitterly.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~  
  
It had been a spectacular night; everything she had dreamed her wedding day would be like. Though she imagined it would take sometime to smooth thing over with Aries. Renting a room at a nearby hotel for two weeks was the only honeymoon the newlyweds could afford, parts to the time machine didn't come cheaply. Two weeks of just her and Arron she could hardly wait for it to begin.  
  
"Want some wine?" Arron offered when they has settled into the room for the night.  
  
"Yea, thanks." She sat with him on the couch sipping the wine nestled in her husband's arms. Placing the glasses on the table Arron looked deep in Amanda's eyes and leaned in to kiss her. Just as Amanda was beginning to forget about the time machine Aries and every other worry in her life fate seemed to deal the cards against thems the phone on the table rang.  
  
"Let it ring." He volunteered and lean in a second time to claim her lips.  
  
"Let's just see who it is. What if it is important?"  
  
"How much can be more important then the first night on our honeymoon be?"  
  
"A lot Arron, we're not the center of the universe, there are thing that are more important." She said leaning forward to pick up the small phone that had just rung for the fifth time.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
" Thank God Amanda you gotta help me." Erick's frantic voice blared thorough the phone.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"It's Aries, I didn't see her at the reception so I went back to the house and I found her passed out on the couch."  
  
"Oh god, what did she do?" Hearing this Arron put his ear close to the phone so he could hear.  
  
"I think she tried again to take her own life again. There are loads of painkillers spread across the table a large bottle of wine that she was drinking that I just spilled on the floor."  
  
"How much did she take?"  
  
"I don't know she's awake here in my arms but she can't seem to do anything except mumble I didn't know what to do. Should I take her to the hospital?" Asked Erick not sure weather the hospital could do anything for her.  
  
"Calm down, yes take her to the hospital and we'll be right there." Amanda ordered hanging up the phone.  
  
"What did she do?" Arron inquired not hearing the first part of the conversation.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
At the hospital the doctors thought it best to pump her stomach, sedate her and wait and see. Two days later Aries woke to the most tremendous headache she had ever had in her life and Amanda berating her.  
  
"What were you thinking, you could have killed yourself and you maybe have done permanent damage to your liver or your brain Aries I don't want anything to happen to you, you know that. Why this I thought we were over this."  
  
"Amanda, that's enough." Erick said in dangerous protective tone that she had never heard before. "I think she has been through enough for now."  
  
"Is there anything I can get you?" He stroked her hair out from over her eyes. "How about some water?" he asked when she didn't respond to his question. He turned around to retrieve a cup of water sitting on the table and carefully held her head and tipped the cup slowly. After Aries was released from the hospital Arron bought the remaining parts needed to finish to time machine and thought it would better if the leave Earth and work in space. From that night on Erick never left Aries' side not even at night. He said it didn't matter weather or not he slept in a bed or even in her bed as long as he was with her and had the chance to stop her before and if she tried suicide for a third time, not wanting the third time to be the charm.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"After that we worked on the machine almost non stop determined to get back to you guys and stop your children from going through what we went through."  
  
"You forgot the part where you didn't speak to me for a month, Erick was hard pressed to even let me go to the bathroom by myself and then you hacked into top secret databases containing plans for the time machine." Aries reminded her sister finishing reading her Gundam for use.  
  
"How long had you-?"  
  
"Since the part in the hospital." She responded to her sibling's unanswered question, which was followed by a tight embrace from her mother who but the sound of it was already sobbing.  
  
"Honey you didn't have to try so hard to join your parents they gave you the chance to live. Why throw that away because you didn't like how they did it?"  
  
"Because I should have died not Dad, he should have escaped with Amanda. It was my fault she was there."  
  
"No sweetheart, you carried out the decision you thought was better. Your parents probably wouldn't have made it even if you weren't there." Aries brought her eyes level with her mothers and gave a halfhearted smile while she watched Amanda hug Zechs. The next few minutes escaped in a blur until Arron announced they had arrived at their destination.  
  
"We're here, Amanda has made it so that the base thinks this is a simple supply ship when we dock Zechs, Noin Amanda and I will plant the virus. Erick you and Aries should stay here ready to fight if they find out that we are not a simple supply ship." Opening the hatch the four climbed out finding their way to the main computer room.  
  
Blending in with another group of cargo haulers the quartet feinted a trip to the galley for refueling of their own but diverged when Amanda turned the opposite direction of the group.  
  
"Do you know the way the main computer?" Zechs whispered to his daughter.  
  
"Yes, this is the way my parents took when they were alive." Several lefts and rights later they came to the main computer room.  
  
"It's locked."  
  
"Of course, but no worries. " Amanda pulled a beeper shaped item out of her pocket and placed it on the lock. In just a few seconds the small device had the code to the door. In the room was the main computer taking up half the room in its enormity.  
  
"I think this is the Main computer." Noin surmised.  
  
"Yes it is, give me the disk and I we'll be in bussiness in no time." Amanda took the disk into her hands then inserted it into the disk slot. After twenty minutes Amanda had finally broken through the encryption codes and proceeded to upload the virus.  
  
"Ok in just a few seconds we will be ready to rol-" The young woman stopped her sentence as a box appeared on the screen.  
  
"Is that supposed to happen?" Zechs asked unsure.  
  
"Uhh, no, it says that it can't upload content to the hard drive."  
  
"Why not honey?" Arron asked  
  
"I don't know it should accept the virus as a regular file."  
  
"Well then lets just get back to the ship the others might be getting wary." As they turned towards the door when it opened of it's own accord.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"They've been to long." Aries said getting up and pacing.  
  
"There probably just were some little snags and they're just off schedule." Erick tried to ease his lover getting up and beginning to rub her shoulders.  
  
"No, they've been in there too long." Her heart tightened at the prospect of something happening to her sister.  
  
"Well fine we just wait twenty more minutes." Erick tried to reason with Aries.  
  
"But if they're in there and they need our help?" Turning round she looked deep into her eyes  
  
"Aries, they could just be behind schedule."  
  
"Erick, I want to know where they are they might be in trouble and need our help." Raising her voice slightly  
  
"Well then it seems that I have been overridden huh? Let's just go real quick to try and find them and come back alright Aries?"  
  
"Do you know the way Aries?" Erick questioned.  
  
"Of course I know the way this is the hallway that led up to the shattering of my family. Follow me." She answered in a tense and sarcastic tone that he didn't much care for. But this was no time he needed to find Amanda. Walking stealthily they were surprised that there was no one in the halls as they reached the housing room for the main computer.  
  
"In here." The room was only lit by the bright glow of the computer screen, which displayed a blank prompt.  
  
"Hmm I wonder what happened if they were able to deliver it." Aries asked out loud.  
  
"If so shouldn't the disk be here?" Erick inquired.  
  
"Is this what you are looking for?" A cold voice behind them drawled. In his hands he held the tiny piece of plastic and metal. The sound of the voice had made Aries jump and turn quick as lighting to the source.  
  
To be continued. 


	10. Bittersweet Peace

Chapter Ten: Bittersweet Peace  
  
"Why hello Miss Marquiez, what odd luck to run into you again isn't it." He said stepping closer to the pair.  
  
"How do you know who I am?" Aries said through gritted teeth if this was indeed Rowan, that same man in her time that was responsible for her parent's death then this Rowan shouldn't know her, hell by all accounts he shouldn't be born yet.  
  
"Please, Miss Marquiez do you think that you four are the only people able to time travel?" Rowan asked in a simpering tone.  
  
"Where's my sister?"  
  
"Oh your team are all right here, their little virus scheme didn't work because by the time they uploaded it I had already protected all the systems against it and set a silent alarm to notify me when it was uploaded. I couldn't have you six messing my beautiful plans for conquest twice in a row now could I?" The smirk on his face made her feel nauseated. However it didn't last long when Amanda, Noin and Zechs and Arron were brought into the room. They were a little worse for wear especially with the dark shades of purple and black that shone in Amanda's eyes.  
  
"Oh my god." Aries surged towards her injured sister.  
  
"Not too fast or we might just have to kill you anyway." Rowan smirked seemingly enjoying the scene before him.  
  
"Honey, are you alright?"  
  
"She is fine for now, she gave Commander Rowan lip so he decided to quiet her down." The guard sequestering her sister informed. From her position she could see Amanda's face noting how the skin around her eye had gone all purple and black. Rowan walked up to Aries, putting his face inches to from his, receiving an almost animal like growl from Erick.  
  
" Why is it so important to you guys to destroy this base?" Aries just looked up at him in contempt. Growing frustrated Rowan raised his hand bringing it in contact with her smooth skin.  
  
"Stop it!" Erick cried and began to struggle against his captors.  
  
"Answer the question."  
  
"We don't know we were just trying to finish what Aries' parents had started." He blurted out.  
  
"Erick shut the hell up."  
  
"Parents these days huh?" He stepped away from Aries and closer to Erick.  
  
"Well weather I find out what the late Zechs and Noin were up to I still can't allow anyone of you to ruin my plans for the second time. You see I am going to fulfill my father's great dreams to unite the Earth and the colonies under my rule like he attempted to do." Leaving Erick's side Rowan strode over to Noin pulling his face and inch from hers.  
  
"Miss Noin it is an extreme pleasure to meet you.again so sorry about the whole bullet thing last time let's hope you are smart enough to avoid the same fate as your counterpart." Getting out of Noin's face Rowan approached Zechs with a jovial smile on his lips.  
  
"My mother has told me lot about you Zechs, how you were my fathers most trusted man and a very dedicated to him. That is until you met Miss Noin." At the end of Rowan's statement there came a roar of laughter and if Zechs hadn't see and heard it then he wouldn't have believed that kinda of laugh to escape from his beautiful wife.  
  
"I derailed Zechs on his path to glory? That's the funniest thing I have ever heard." Noin stopped laughing, the cheerful grin replaced by a deep anger. "I can only think of one bitter, hateful woman who would say that." Angered by her derogatory comments towards his mother Rowan whipped around full in a rage.  
  
"You dare call my mother bitter and hateful you never even knew my mother."  
  
"What the hell? I not know Une, the constant thorn in my side during our time served together. That woman never had a nice thing to say unless it was to Treize always hanging around him hoping he would tell her she did a good job and giving her a bit of praise." A sharp crack broke the air as Rowan's hand collided with the side of Noin's face.  
  
"How dare you talk about my parents like that!" Recoiling Noin looked up once more the bangs that always hid her face covering the tingling flesh.  
  
"Your parents? I know Une is your mother but Treize isn't you father."  
  
"Lucretzia." Zechs uttered gently trying to tell his wife to quit while she was ahead.  
  
"You liar!"  
  
"I know it is hard to believe but Treize is not your father I over heard Une telling that doctor that she had always wanted a child with Treize but was raped." Noin's body shifted slightly as Rowan struck her again. His teeth clenched Zechs scowled deeply.  
  
"That's bullshit just because my counterpart of this world my have been brought into the world that way it doesn't meant I was as well."  
  
"Well actually it would because this world is our world except that it isn't as far along." Amanda spoke up for the first time.  
  
"Ah always the voice of reason and logic, unlike your twin here. I think I have had enough of this idle banter and it is time for you all to met the same fate as Aries and Amanda's late parents." And Rowan stepped back from the groups,his men that stood doing nothing took out their guns. However before they had the chance to fire the entire base shook and the lights went out. Chaos ensued by the time the ten seconds needed to activate the back up generators. The six detainees wasted no time in retaliating.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Rowan's voice bellowed over he chaos.  
  
"It would seem as though we have been hit." A solider answered.  
  
"Where the hell did they get too?" Rowan scanned the room, in the half powered light it was next to impossible to detect the party hiding behind the control console.  
  
"They probably went back to their ship, come on." The commander called leading the rest of the solder's out of the room. Hearing the footsteps leaving the room Amanda immediately jumped up to access the main computer.  
  
"What are you doing the plan is useless now the best we can do now is to get out of here alive." Zechs voiced his thoughts.  
  
"No there is still a way to destroy this base." She said matter of factually  
  
"Amanda your not gonna-" Aaron tried to speak  
  
"It will be better for all of us we don't belong here." Amanda said as she turned from the console to face her husband.  
  
"You two had better get a move on. It's not gonna be pretty." Aries said gesturing to Erick and Arron.  
  
"I don't know what you think but I'm not leaving you Amanda. Til death do us part remember?" He smiled weakly encircling her in his arms.  
  
"That goes for me to you know, you aren't ditching me now." Erick said happily.  
  
"I have disabled the shields, mom and dad it's time for you to leave." Amanda said to Zechs and Noin  
  
"Why don't you come with us?" Noin asked timidly afraid of the reply.  
  
"Because we don't belong in this time, the time machine was a one shot deal."  
  
"What?! You could find a place to belong in this world. It's not worth your lives." Noin protested.  
  
"Thanks for the thought mom but this is the right thing to do. " Aries explained  
  
"But you can't..."  
  
"Mom thank you for everything and Dad you guys have given us the closer me and Amanda thought we would never get. Just take care of those girls all right. And don't look so sad you'll see us again" Aries hugged her father for the last time as big letters flashed across the screen.  
  
Setting transport coordinates  
  
Initializing transport  
  
The bodies of Zechs and Noin dematerialized in front of their eyes.  
  
"It's set for five minutes, I doubt they will come back in here to look for us." Amanda spoke tiredly enjoying the feel of her husband's body against hers.  
  
"I'm so sorry Erick." Her big sister whispered.  
  
"For what darling?" he held her close, leaning his forehead against hers.  
  
"For never saying how I felt towards you. Throughout this whole time you have been the one keeping me in line whenever Amanda wasn't there. I'm sorry I made so much trouble for you guys by trying to take my own life. I was just on some kind of crazy quest to relive my guilt, to find some kind of approval even if I had to go to the so called next world to find it and," she stammered as tears began to run down her swollen cheek "and I.Have loved you for so long Erick. I really always have but I was afraid of what that meant, of what we meant." She embraced her lover tightly while reaching her head upwards to claim his lips, waiting for their ultimate closer to arrive.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The former lighting count and his wife rematerialized inside the ship in the cargo bay just as they heard the voices of Rowan's men just reaching their ship.  
  
"Damnit." Noin exclaimed as she realized where they were.  
  
"Lucretzia, there was nothing we could do now except comply with their wishes and get back to Earth." Zechs sat down at the controls of the small ship, setting a course for Earth. As the ship cleared the planet a tremendous shockwave hit the ship bumping it along on it's way to Earth. After an hour of sitting silently down next to her husband Noin punched him solidly in the shoulder.  
  
"What was that for Lucretzia?" Zechs took his eyes off the endless row of stars.  
  
"They're too much like you." Noin said almost choked by her tears.  
  
"Oh well I don't see that a bad thing." He was met by a fierce death glare " It was their choice Noin and they did complete the mission."  
  
"Shut up about the damn Zechs! They were our children and we just let them go and blow themselves up." Zechs took Noin's hand's motioning for her to sit on his lap.  
  
"It's what they wanted Lucretzia."  
  
"How can they want to die?"  
  
"When something of that caliber happens it affects a person. I know I have felt the guilt of being alive while my parents lay dead. They lived for as long as it took them to make sure that didn't happen to our children. Outside of that they had no will to live." Zechs covered her lips with his.  
  
"They could have lived for each other you saw how in love they were."  
  
"Sometimes love just isn't enough." He cradled his wife in his arms as she began to cry again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~On Earth  
  
After the couple landed back at the base they relayed the news about how the mission was carried out. As they told Herro and Duo about the happenings of the missions they saw two little figures running towards them.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy." The twins screamed in harmony as they jumped in the arms of their parents.  
  
"We missed you so much." Amanda quipped. Noin hugged her daughter tight.  
  
"We missed you guys too." She said as Lady walked up to them.  
  
"Une may we have a word, in private?" The ex colonel nodded curtly and followed Noin to an unoccupied room.  
  
"What's this about Noin?" she asked as Noin shifted Amanda onto her other arm.  
  
"This is about you, lying to your son and telling him that Treize was his father instead of telling him the truth."  
  
"What business is it of yours what I choose to tell my son?" Said Une brisling.  
  
"It's my business when your son tries to take over the Earth and the colonies like his 'father' had tried to do. It's my business when four very special people have to give up their lives in order to stop something you put a start to in the first place."  
  
"But how can you possibly know what my son will grow up like?"  
  
"Let's just say that past action are enough to tell." Noin was about to start berating Une even more when Zechs entered the room.  
  
"Lucretzia what are you doing, this isn't Une's fault at least not yet."  
  
"But she has to know what her lies have caused."  
  
"I think you have already said enough, now lets get back to our ship." Zechs didn't give his wife anytime to protest as he grabbed her shoulder and steered her out of the room leaving a speechless Une in their wake.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 7 months later  
  
After the annihilation of the Jupiter base the remaining rebels disbanded and went about their lives. Zechs was ready to go back into space, but was convinced by his wife that their daughters needed to be in a place where they could explore and still be safe. Three months after they had settled in to their new house Trowa announced that he had found the woman of his dreams and they were expecting a child. When asked about names the Bartons had decided to name their son Erick. Three months after the announcement of Trowa's new arrival the whole Gundam team were informed of the birth of Lady Une's baby boy, Rowan.  
  
"Kind of unsettling isn't it." Zechs said to his wife as they watched Aries and Amanda play with baby Arron." That the source of the problem we were sent to fix is right here under our noses."  
  
"Well there is no telling that this Rowan and that Rowan will turn out to be the same. Hopefully Une will take my advice for the fist time in her life and then we he won't become a problem. But we will have to keep and eye on him just encase."  
  
"Yes we will but let's try not worry about that now in this peaceful time." Zechs kissed his wife on the forehead. They didn't know how long peace would rule their bit of the universe but for however long it would be to Zechs and Noin it would come at a high price and always be bittersweet.  
  
The End 


End file.
